Hyundai Motor Group and Seoul City Host the '2021 Autonomous Driving Challenge'

A Total of 6 Universities Advance to Finals... Competing with Autonomous Vehicles Using Niro EV

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] Hyundai Motor Group announced on the 29th that it held the finals of the '2021 Autonomous Driving Challenge' in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Government at the Jaul Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Operation Zone in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul.

The Autonomous Driving Challenge is the new name for the 'University Student Autonomous Vehicle Competition' that Hyundai Motor Group has been hosting since 2010 to support related technology development and talent cultivation at domestic universities. This year, Hyundai Motor Group and the Seoul Metropolitan Government jointly hosted the event to promote research on autonomous driving technology in actual urban traffic environments based on electric vehicles.

Hyundai Motor Group supported the participating teams with technology and vehicle production, while the Seoul Metropolitan Government cooperated by establishing a stable competition environment including communications, roads, and traffic.

Unlike previous competitions held on closed tracks where autonomous vehicles ran individually with virtual obstacles to determine rankings, this competition was conducted with multiple vehicles driving simultaneously within the Sangam Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Operation Zone, equipped with next-generation intelligent transportation system (C-ITS) infrastructure for autonomous driving in Seoul city.

Furthermore, while internal combustion engine vehicles were used in previous competitions, this time the participating teams created electric vehicle-based autonomous vehicles for the first time using the Niro EV provided by Hyundai Motor Group. Hyundai Motor Group also supported hardware technology to reduce the burden of vehicle modification, allowing students to focus on autonomous driving software development.

Six university teams selected from a total of 23 universities nationwide that participated in the preliminary round?Keimyung University, Sungkyunkwan University, University of Incheon, Inha University, Chungbuk National University, and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)?participated in the finals. The finals were held on a 4 km section within the pilot operation zone where traffic was controlled, with six autonomous vehicles driving simultaneously. Drivers and evaluators were onboard the vehicles to prepare for emergencies, and general spectators watched the live broadcast on large screens for safety.

The competition proceeded with vehicles navigating obstacle avoidance and overtaking, passing intersections, and complying with urban traffic regulations while driving the designated course. Rankings were determined by the fastest completion within the time limit, with points deducted for traffic violations. Prizes totaling approximately 300 million KRW were awarded: 100 million KRW and a North America study tour for the winner, 50 million KRW and a China study tour for the runner-up, 30 million KRW for third place, 10 million KRW for fourth place, and 5 million KRW each for fifth and sixth places.

A Hyundai Motor Group official stated, "This competition is significant as it is the first in Korea where multiple autonomous vehicles based on electric vehicles simultaneously demonstrated technology in an actual urban traffic environment." He added, "We will continue to take the lead in solidifying the autonomous driving ecosystem by organically cooperating not only with various universities but also with local governments."